


I Hate the Fucking Sand

by CMBYN_Obsessed



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017) RPF, Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blow Jobs, Coming Out, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hand Jobs, M/M, Virginity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:48:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21627076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMBYN_Obsessed/pseuds/CMBYN_Obsessed
Summary: Timmy Chalamet and his parents have moved to a small beach community in Los Angeles, CA from New York City. Timmy hates EVERYTHING about it... especially his new next-door-neighbor, Armie Hammer.In this story, it is the summer before Timmy is to start his junior year at the fictional Playa High School. Armie and his friends are about to be seniors.
Relationships: Timothée Chalamet/Armie Hammer
Comments: 267
Kudos: 337
Collections: CMBYN Big Bang 2019





	1. The New Kid

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy my new fic for the 2019 Big Bang! It's a high school enemies-to-friends-to-lovers AU set in a small beach community in Los Angeles. 
> 
> A HUGE thank you to the amazing @Chalamazed for her gorgeous artwork. I am humbled to have her beautiful art grace the first chapter of my story.
> 
> Also, another big thank you to my two brilliant BETA readers, @hendricksplease and @hobbsiek!

Chapter 1 The New Kid

Armie was poised to launch a shot into his driveway hoop when the moving truck pulled up next door. He paused for a moment; Nick followed his gaze to the truck.

“That your new neighbor?”

Armie shook his head. “It’s their stuff, but mom said they aren’t coming ‘til tonight. Driving all the way from New York City to Playa del Rey. Crazy.” 

He started dribbling in place. “I guess they have a son around our age. She wants me to go and be the fucking welcome wagon.”

Nick cringed sympathetically. “Dude. That sucks.” 

Armie nodded in agreement while sending the ball sailing through the basket.

Later that night, Armie’s mom, Dru, was finishing the dinner dishes when she noticed a family minivan had arrived next door.

“Armie, I think they’re here! Let’s walk over and bring them the lasagna I made.”

Armie didn’t reply; he was watching Netflix in the comfort of his own bed, and he had no intention of getting up. He hoped that if he ignored her, maybe she would go without him. But he had no such luck; within minutes, his mom was knocking on his door.

“Throw your flip-flops on and let’s go. It won’t kill you to say hi. And who knows, maybe you’ll make a friend!”

Nicole and Marc Chalamet greeted Armie and his mom with exhausted gratitude. They hadn’t had dinner yet, and had just been wondering if the local pizza place was any good when their doorbell rang. 

“Is everyone in this neighborhood so friendly?” Nicole asked.

Dru beamed. “Very! It’s a great area. You’re going to love it.” She glanced around their living room. “Is your son here? Armie would like to meet him.”

Armie rolled his eyes internally, but gave his best parent-friendly smile. “Definitely. What’s his name?”

“Timothee, but you can call him Timmy. He’s going to be a junior at Playa High in the fall. How about you, Armie?”

“I’ll be a senior this year. But it’s a pretty small school; we could have some classes together. Does he play any sports? Or surf?”

Nicole looked amused at Armie’s questions. “No, Timmy doesn’t play any sports or surf. Not yet, anyway. He’s in his room down the hall, if you want to say hi.”

Armie headed down the hallway in the direction that Nicole pointed. As he closed in on his room, the smell of pot became unmistakable, and the bass line from “Bodak Yellow” boomed through the door. Armie gave three quick knocks.

“Enter,” a monotone voice commanded from inside the room.

Armie opened the door with hesitation; he felt a little awkward ambushing the new kid this way. He peeked into the dark, smoky room, barely making out stacks of unpacked boxes, a bed with a bare mattress, and a small desk. Timmy (he presumed it was Timmy), was perched on a chair, his legs crossed on the desk, staring at a phone in one hand, a vape pen in the other. The room was too dark for Armie to get a good look at him, but what he could see was long and thin, topped with a shock of short curls. 

Armie stepped in.

“Hey…” he started.

“Who the fuck are you?” Timmy interrupted with an exhale of smoke. 

Armie stuttered, taken aback by the blatant rudeness coming from Timmy. 

“I…I’m Armie. I live next door. I…We’re going to go to the same school in the fall?” Armie didn’t know why that came out as a question. The kid was making him nervous.

Timmy looked him up and down, then settled on an unimpressed scowl, staring at him for several long moments. Armie was about to speak again, when Timmy suddenly barked, “Not interested. Fuck off.”

Armie blinked in astonishment. Had that really just happened? He quickly retreated from the room, speechless. The kid must want to be friendless in the fall, he decided. 

Nicole immediately noticed the shocked look on Armie’s face when he returned to the living room, and her eyebrows knit in concern.

“Everything ok, Armie? I hope Timmy wasn’t too rude. I should have warned you that he is NOT happy about this move. He loves New York City, and fought moving here, tooth and nail.” 

Armie shrugged, not wanting to snitch on another kid, but still in disbelief at what an asshole Timmy had been to him.

“He was… fine. Ready to go, mom?” Dru and Nicole each smiled apologetically at each other, embarrassed that their sons apparently weren’t going to be instant best friends. 

“Thank you again for the lasagna, Dru. We’ll see you soon,” Marc said, walking them to the door.

Once outside, Dru turned to Armie. “What happened in there?”

“Nothing. The kid’s just a dick, that’s all.”

“Well, you heard his mom. He’s unhappy and he’s been displaced. Don’t write him off completely yet. Maybe give him another shot once he’s more adjusted. Okay?”

Armie rolled his eyes. His mom was way too nice sometimes. 

“Sure, mom. Whatever.”

A few days later, Armie, Nick, and their other friend Ash were loading up Armie’s truck to hit the beach when Dru appeared looking thoughtful.

“Armie, why don’t you invite Timmy to join you? Nicole said that he’s having a really hard time adjusting to the move. I bet a day at the beach would cheer him up.”

Armie groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted to do was to spend the day with that douchebag Timmy. But he knew his mom was relentless when she got a notion in her mind, so he decided to humor her. Timmy most likely wouldn’t want to go, anyway.

Armie walked the short distance to Timmy’s house and knocked; Nicole answered within seconds, looking thrilled to see Armie at her door. 

“Armie! So good to see you! Let me get Timmy….”

Armie shifted uncomfortably at the door, pieces of Timmy and Nicole’s conversation- no, argument- drifting to where he was waiting. From what little that he could hear, Timmy was as unhappy that Armie was at his house as Armie was to be there. A moment later, Nicole reappeared in the living room.

“You can go on in, Armie. You remember where his room is, right?”

Armie couldn’t believe that he was going to have to face this kid in his own territory again. He steeled himself for whatever hostility he was about to confront and headed down the hall. Timmy’s door was open this time; Armie tapped on it anyway and stepped in. 

Timmy’s room was smoke-free this day, and almost completely set-up. The boxes were gone, and posters of NYC and rappers hung on his wall, along with a few Yankee pennants. Timmy was on his bed, reading. He barely looked up when Armie entered his room.

“Hey,” Armie started.

“Yeah. Hey,” Timmy replied, not looking up from his book.

“So, my friends and I are going to the beach today, if you want to come with us…”

Before he could reply, Nicole was suddenly in his room. “That would be great, Armie! He would love to go, wouldn’t you, Timmy?”

Timmy finally looked up from his book, giving his mom a thoroughly perturbed look. 

“Actually, mom, I have a bunch of things to do today.”

Nicole pursed her lips in disapproval. “ACTUALLY, Timmy, you have nothing to do today. You need to get out of this house, that’s what you need to do. I’m not giving you the choice. Go to the beach with Armie and his friends. That’s an order.” 

She turned on her heel, leaving Armie alone with a pissed-off Timmy. Armie tried to smooth over the situation.

“It’ll be fun. We can play beach volleyball and go boogie boarding. My friends are pretty cool…”

Timmy put up his hand to stop Armie. “Save it. I hate the beach. I hate the sun, and I really hate the fucking sand. I’ll go because I have to, but don’t expect me to play some stupid game of volleyball.”

“I just think that if you give Playa a chance, you might learn to like it…”

Timmy tilted his head back in frustration. “Jesus, Armie. Enough of that already!”

Armie was speechless; he shoved his hands into his pockets with extreme discomfort. 

Timmy finally dragged himself out of bed and grabbed a pair of sneakers from his closet.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Armie looked at the jeans and black t-shirt he was wearing.

“Um…aren’t you going to put on a bathing suit?” 

Timmy shot him a death glare. “I don’t own a fucking bathing suit. Now let’s go before I change my mind.”

Ash and Nick were leaning against Armie’s truck, shooting the breeze, when they saw Armie and Timmy walking their way. They stood up straight to greet them, but their wide, friendly smiles faltered a bit when they noticed the foul expression on Timmy’s face. 

“Timmy, these are my friends, Ash and Nick. Guys, this is my new neighbor, Timmy.” 

Nick put out his fist for a pound; Timmy reciprocated and gave them each a small, tight smile. 

Ash looked him over, and started to ask, “Hey, where’s your…” 

Armie interrupted him. “It’s fine. He’s just going to wear his jeans.”

Ash shot him a confused look, and Armie mouthed, “He doesn’t have one,” with a shrug.

They loaded into the truck and headed out. Nick tried to make small talk with Timmy, but he stared out the window and gave one word answers. Eventually, Nick gave up the effort.

The beach was less than a mile away, and within a few minutes, the boys were setting up on the sand. Timmy had taken off his sneakers and laid out a bath towel that he had grabbed on the way out of his house; he sat a few feet away from the other boys, his feet hanging off the end of the towel onto the sand.

“Damn, what’s his deal?” Nick asked Armie, as they headed to the water with their boogie boards.

Armie shrugged. “He’s pissed that his parents moved here, I guess. He’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan. It’s ridiculous.”

Armie, Nick and Ash boogie boarded while Timmy sulked on his too-small towel in his jeans. He had brought a book to read, but it sat ignored and eventually he fell asleep with a sock over his eyes. An hour later, the boys returned from the water; Armie walked over and nudged Timmy with his foot. Timmy grudgingly took the sock off of his eyes and sat up.

“What the fuck?” he groused.

“Hey, we brought food. Thought maybe you were hungry? Or want a beer?” 

Timmy looked like he was considering a snarky answer, but his hunger and desire for a beer won out over his need to sulk. He gave a noncommittal shrug.

“A beer would be good.” 

Armie grinned. “Ok, but you have to come and actually sit with us. Can you handle that? I swear we won’t bite.”

Timmy rolled his eyes, but then dragged his towel closer to the group and took the beer handed to him. He took a long swig from the bottle, and his expression seemed to soften. 

He glanced up at Armie. “Thanks.” 

For a brief moment, Armie saw the person behind the sneer. He watched Timmy for a moment as he drank his beer. Timmy wore a brown baseball cap, so his face was mostly in shadow, but he could see that his jawline was defined and masculine, yet his lips were soft and pink and almost feminine. Timmy’s tongue darted out to swab his lips; Armie’s stomach lurched unexpectedly at the sight. He quickly looked away from Timmy, shocked at this feeling.

Armie, Ash and Nick ate and joked while Timmy mostly watched. Eventually Ash turned to Timmy, attempting again to draw him into conversation.

“So, you don’t play sports or surf. What did you do in New York?”

Timmy shifted his position so he was sitting crossed-legged. “There IS other stuff to do in life besides sports. I’m into a lot of things. I play the piano. I did theater. I went to museums and concerts. I read a lot. The world is a big place.”

Armie snorted. “No shit. You don’t have to be condescending. Just because we play sports doesn’t mean we aren’t into other things. I play the guitar and like to read, too,” he countered with irritation. He didn’t like Timmy thinking they were a bunch of empty-headed jocks. 

Timmy glanced over at Armie and chewed on his lip. He seemed to be considering this information, but eventually just shrugged. “Good for you. You want a cookie?”

“God, do you have to be such a prick?” Armie erupted. He abruptly stood up, and started gathering his stuff. “I’m ready to get out of here. Let’s go.”

He stalked off, aggravated at Timmy, but also mad at himself for letting Timmy get to him. He was almost to the car, when he heard footsteps jogging up behind him. 

“Armie, wait up.” 

Armie spun on his heel to see Timmy approaching. He sighed and waited for Timmy’s next jab.

Timmy took of his sunglasses to get a better look at Armie. They were within a few inches of each other, and Armie was taken aback by the beauty of Timmy’s emerald eyes. 

“What? Are you going to tell me again about how everyone from Los Angeles is shallow and how much you hate it here?” he managed to sputter out.

Timmy looked abashed. “Look, I know I’m being a douche. I…I’m sorry. I’m just unhappy here, but I shouldn’t take that out on you and your friends.”

“You think? You know, you’re stuck here now. You might as well get used to it.”

Timmy just shook his head. “You don’t fucking get it. Just…just forget it,” he spat out and stormed away. Armie sighed; just when he thought he was making progress with Timmy, they backslid again.


	2. The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys run into each other again...literally. This chapter is a little short, but the next two will be longer :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the incredible support this new story has gotten already! I am always so appreciative of all your kudos and comments! xoxox

Chapter 2 The Invitation

It was another week before Armie’s path collided with Timmy’s again, this time literally. Armie was walking backwards down his driveway, dragging his trash can to the curb, when a body suddenly slammed against him _hard_ , causing them both to fall onto the sidewalk.

“What the fuck?” Timmy yelled from ground where he had landed on his ass a few feet from Armie.

“Dude, you ran into _me_. I should be asking _you_ what the fuck…” Armie didn’t want to start a fight first thing in the morning, but the whole thing kind of wasn’t his fault. “Where are you going in such a big hurry?”

Armie stood up, reaching a hand out to help up Timmy, who ignored it, getting up on his own. He regarded Armie for a long moment, as if considering what he should disclose.

“If you must know,” he started, “I was going to sneak down the alley to smoke out.”

Armie’s eyebrows shot to his forehead. “Really? It’s 10am. Isn’t it a bit early to get high?”

Timmy rolled his eyes. “God, don’t be such a pussy.” He paused and eyed Armie. “You want to join?”

Armie opened his mouth to give a sharp retort, to tell Timmy that there was no way in hell that he would get high with him at 10am on a Thursday. But what actually came out was, “Um…sure.”

_Fuck, what was he thinking_? He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was pleased to have been invited by Timmy to partake in something he normally wouldn’t even consider.

Timmy started walking towards the alley. “Follow me,” he commanded.

They walked down the long alley that stretched between the neighborhood’s garages, stopping at one that had no windows. Timmy pulled out his vape pen, clicked it a few times, then sucked in a long pull. He passed it over to Armie as he exhaled a giant cloud of smoke.

Armie took the vape pen, pausing with uncertainly.

“What’s the problem?” Timmy asked. When Armie didn’t answer, he snickered. “What, you’ve never vaped before?”

Armie flushed. “Of course I have vaped before. It’s just…it’s been awhile.”

Timmy held the vape pen and showed him how to use it. Armie took a tentative hit.

“Smooth,” he observed after his exhale. They each took one more pull, then leaned against the garage. Armie’s head was swimming, but he felt pretty good.

He looked over at Timmy, who had his eyes closed, and started to giggle. Timmy’s eyes flew open.

“What’s so funny? Dude…you’re stoned.”

Armie pulled himself together long enough to choke out, “I was just thinking about,” he snorted with laughter, “what a dick you were when I first met you.” He started to giggle again.

Timmy tried to look offended, but then starting laughing, too. “Fuck off, dude. You acted like you had a giant stick up your ass.”

The boys hung out against the garage wall for a few more minutes, laughing at nothing in particular. Eventually Armie turned to Timmy. “Come over to my house. My mom made blueberry muffins. I’m dying for one.”

Timmy nodded quickly. “Oh shit; a blueberry muffin sounds _so good_ right now. Let’s go.”

“So, why do you hate Los Angeles so much?” Armie asked as they chewed on their muffins at his kitchen island.

“What is there to _like_? Ok, let’s see, let me think…what do I hate…” Timmy tapped his fingers on the counter as if he were preparing for a long answer. “Besides the obviously inferior choices in food and music venues? Well, there’s the fact that the only people walking around outside are either exercising or walking their tiny fucking dogs. There is no LIFE here! And at night, it’s weirdly quiet. There are no car horns, no sirens. Only the occasional airplane.” 

Armie snorted. “Ok, so you hate it because it’s quiet and not congested with people? That’s dumb.”

Timmy’s mouth flew open with indignation. “I’m just getting started! Let’s see, what else? Everything is so fucking far away. I looked the other day, and it takes over an hour to get to the Hollywood Bowl! _An hour_! That’s ridiculous!”

“Wait, are you going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl?” Armie was confused. 

Timmy huffed in frustration. “No! God, that’s not the point!” He threw a blueberry at Armie. “You’re thick. And the people here are…so vapid.”

Armie broke off a piece of his own muffin and chucked it at Timmy. “I may be thick, but you’re judgmental. How many people from here could you possibly have met, holed up in your bedroom getting stoned?”

Timmy snorted at Armie. Armie felt his cheeks warm; he liked making Timmy laugh.

“I leave sometimes! I go to the alley to get stoned.” Armie grinned at Timmy making his own point for him. “Wait! And I’ve walked to the coffee shop down the street. And I see them all walking around in their athleisure wear and flip-flops. It’s ridiculous.”

“You’re the worst, Timmy. If you give people half a chance, they might surprise you. And going to the alley to get stoned doesn’t count as going ‘out’ ” Armie rolled his eyes, but a smile softened the gesture.

Timmy shrugged, suddenly looking forlorn. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know.” He sighed.  
“I miss my New York friends.”

Armie tried to imagine how lost he would feel if his parents decided to move across the country and he had to leave Nick and Ash and his other friends behind. He felt an unexpected wave of sympathy for Timmy, despite his mostly dick-ish behavior towards Armie. He decided to extend an olive branch.

“Hey, we’re going to a party at Ash’s tomorrow night. Do you want to come? You could ride over with me and Nick.”

Timmy looked up at Armie, and he felt that same strange knot in his stomach as the other day when Timmy looked into his eyes. His gut ached and he was unreasonably anxious. Armie rarely felt nervous, and it was unsettling that Timmy could make him feel this way.

Timmy finally responded. “I guess I should try to meet more people before school starts. So…sure, why not. What time should I come over?”

Armie felt a sudden wave of joy wash over him that Timmy had said yes. He did his best to ignore the emotion in that moment …he would need to unpack all of these confusing feelings later, when his head wasn't clouded by Timmy’s presence.

“Party starts at 8. Come here any time around then.”

The night of the party, Armie stood in front of his closet, shirtless and indecisive about what to wear. He mentally reprimanded himself for caring so much. Usually he threw on any old t-shirt and shorts to go to a school party; why was he so concerned about how he looked tonight? The name _Timmy_ trespassed into his mind, uninvited and not welcome.

“Dumbass,” he chided his reflection in the mirror. He grabbed a short-sleeved white button-up that he knew looked good with his tan. “It’s just comfortable,” he thought, rationalizing the choice.

He glanced at the clock: 8:08. Timmy could be here any moment. He went to the kitchen to grab a beer and calm the flutter in his stomach, relieved that his parents were out for the evening. What would this night hold? How would Timmy act towards him? Cool and aloof like when they first met, or friendlier, like the other day? He hated not knowing which Timmy to expect.

The door bell sounded, startling Armie out of his reverie. He opened the door and had to suppress a gasp at how fucking _good_ Timmy looked. He had on a simple white t-shirt, paired with tight jeans and a brown leather jacket. His hair was styled into smooth, shiny curls, swept away from his face. Armie blinked twice to fully absorb the image in front of him, then opened the door wide to let Timmy enter.

He focused on keeping his voice steady, not wanting to expose the effect Timmy was having on him. “Hey, glad you made it. You want a beer or something before we go?”

Timmy gave his signature shrug. “Sure.”

They stood, sipping their beers in slightly awkward silence until Timmy broke it with a question. “So, what are the parties like around here? Do they get wild?”

Armie chuckled. “Not usually, no. It’s almost always the same crowd, playing drinking games, maybe getting high. Mostly just hanging out. The police are rarely called. Although it’s not _unheard_ of.” He gave a grin at Timmy. “What were the parties like at your school?”

Timmy scratched his chin with the hand holding his beer bottle, remembering. “Well, I hung with the theater crowd, so there was usually drinking and sometimes smoking. Then, eventually, there would be lots of singing and sometimes even dancing at the end of the night.” He laughed to himself at the memory.

Armie tried to picture a sing-a-long at one of his crowd’s parties and failed. “Yeah, well, I doubt you’ll get this crowd to sing with you, but maybe we can teach you the finer points of King’s Cup.”

Timmy grinned. “It’s a deal.” 

Just then, the doorbell sounded, announcing Nick’s arrival. The boys grabbed their phones and took off for the party. As Armie followed Timmy out the door, he gave Timmy another subtle once over and silently wondered how the party was going to play out.


	3. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys head to Ash's party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am ridiculously impatient. I've never had an entire story written before I posted even a single chapter, and apparently, I can't wait to get it out to you all. So here...have another chapter :) (they're short)
> 
> As always, sending love and appreciation to all my readers! Love love love comments!

Chapter 3- The Party

The party was in full-swing when the boys arrived. Armie was surprised at how friendly and sociable Timmy was at the party. It was a 180-degree difference from the bitter, unpleasant kid Timmy had been when they first met the previous week. Armie had expected that Timmy would stick close to him, at least at the beginning of the party, since Timmy did not know anyone there besides Armie and his friends. But after Armie introduced him to a cluster of girls when they first walked in, Timmy had stayed with them to talk.

Armie glanced back at Timmy chatting with the group of mostly juniors, then grabbed a beer from the cooler in the backyard, slapping high-fives and calling hellos as he made his way through the party. A few minutes later, he couldn’t stop himself from returning to the house to check on Timmy. He just wanted to make sure he was meeting people, he told himself. Timmy was still chatting animatedly with two girls, laughing and waving his hands around.

_What the hell are they talking about that is so interesting?_ Armie wondered, with a disgruntled feeling that he couldn’t quite put a name to. _He never looks that way when he’s talking to ME._

He was still standing in the doorway watching Timmy when a hand came down on his shoulder. He startled out of his thoughts and turned around to face Nick.

“Arms, what are you doing? You look like you’re in a trance or something,” Nick laughed. He looked to where Armie’s eyes had been trained and saw Timmy with the girls. “Are you checking up on Timmy? Dude, you’re not his babysitter. Hey, maybe he’ll get laid tonight. That might make him finally like L.A.! Come on, let’s go outside.”

Armie felt a scowl cross his face at Nick’s words, but immediately checked himself. Why should he care if Timmy met a girl tonight? Good for him…right? He shook off his increasingly confusing feelings towards his neighbor and followed Nick back outside.

It was after 9pm and the party was going off. Someone was deejaying in the backyard, and there was a game of beer pong set up on a table. Small groups of mostly juniors and seniors were clustered around the deck and firepit, talking and laughing. There were two large coolers overflowing with ice and beer, and several bags of chips were open and spilling their contents onto a patio table. Armie joined a group of soon-to-be seniors having a loud discussion about how bad this year’s football team looked at practice.

Time flew by. Soon it was almost midnight and Armie was on his way to being quite buzzed. He’d kept an eye on Timmy throughout the party, and he was partially relieved and partially annoyed that he had been deep in conversation with other people every time he caught a glimpse of him. Timmy hadn’t come to say hi at all during the party, even though Armie was the one who had invited him. _Kind of rude,_ Armie thought.

An hour later, the party had dwindled down to less than a dozen drunken stragglers sipping beers and smoking around the patio table. Armie found Timmy digging in a cooler, searching through the ice for one last beer. He nudged Timmy’s foot with his toe.

“Here,” he said, handing his beer to Timmy. “I just opened this, but I don’t need it; I’m driving tonight. It was the last one.”

Timmy graced him with a sloppy smile. It occurred to Armie that he probably didn’t need another beer either, but he let him have it anyway.

“Thanks, man,” Timmy slurred, “And thanks for inviting me. I actually had fun tonight. Your friends are… they’re alright.”

“No problem; glad you had fun.”

And he WAS glad. He felt a sense of responsibility towards Timmy even if the kid _had_ been a dick to him. He was his neighbor, he was new, and he was younger than Armie. _That_ was why he felt this weird sense of protectiveness about him.

Armie grabbed two patio chairs from the lawn and pulled them up to the deck for him and Timmy. Timmy collapsed gratefully onto the chair with his beer. The group around the table was arguing animatedly about something.

“What are you guys talking about?” Timmy asked the group.

Ash laughed. “The girls want to play Truth or Dare, like we’re a bunch of fucking eighth-graders.”

Armie rolled his eyes, but Timmy grinned eagerly. “Oh my god, I LOVE Truth or Dare! Let’s play!”

The girls at the table cheered on Timmy’s enthusiasm; Ash realized that he was outnumbered and gave in.

“Fine, but we need parameters. No ‘getting naked’ dares. I don’t need the neighbors complaining. And…anything else?”

“No fucking parameters! Anything goes!” Nick yelled. The group laughed; Timmy raised his arms above his head and cheered. Armie couldn’t help but smile at this new, goofy Timmy that apparently emerged after a half-dozen beers.

One of the girls, Caitlin, started with an easy dare for Ash to drink the dregs of a beer that someone had left on the table.

“Shit, I might have done that anyway,” he said with a wink, and downed the warm beer from the bottom of the bottle as all the girls groaned in disgust.

Ash chose next, daring Violetta to flash one of the guys at the party. Everyone boo’ed as she stood and lifted her shirt up in front of her boyfriend, Ansel, who was sitting next to her. 

“Boring!” Nick yelled.

Violetta turned her attention to Nick. “Ok, your turn, loud mouth. Truth: how old were you when you lost your virginity, and to who?”

Nick suddenly flushed a deep red at this question. Armie smirked, knowing that he had lost his virginity to Caitlin last year. He was the only one Nick had told. Caitlin was sinking into her chair, as if hoping it might swallow her whole.

Nick shook his head. “I don’t want to say.”

Ash chucked a beer cap at him. “Come on, you pussy. Just answer the fucking question!”

Nick sighed with annoyance, then pushed out of his chair and stalked towards the house.

“This game is dumb. I’m getting a Coke,” he called over his shoulder, as he opened the door to the house.

Ash watched him retreat, then shrugged and turned to Timmy.

“Okay, your turn Timmy-Tim. Let’s see…. I dare you to kiss whoever you find most attractive at this table.”

Armie’s eyes involuntarily darted to Timmy at this dare. What would Timmy do? There were only nine of them left at the table, four girls and five guys.

Just as Armie’s eyes landed on Timmy, Timmy lifted his head and looked right at Armie. Their eyes locked on each other for a long, uncomfortable moment. Armie stomach lurched and he swallowed hard, wondering if Timmy was actually going lean over and kiss him. But Timmy pulled his gaze away, standing up and walking over to give Raina a quick peck on her lips. She flushed with pleasure.

“You’re pretty hot, too, Timmy,” she giggled.

Armie felt a hot bolt of anger shoot through him, and this time, there was no denying why he felt it. Jealousy, pure and simply. He abruptly stood up, disrupting the game; everyone looked at him with surprise at his sudden movement.

“I’m wiped. I think I’m gonna take off. Timmy, do you want a ride home still?”

Timmy had returned to his seat next to Armie, and looked up at him, chewing his lip nervously.

“No,” he finally answered after what felt like eternity to Armie. “I think I’m going to hang a little longer.”

Armie pressed his lips together, trying to hide the chaotic flurry of emotions he was suddenly feeling.

“Fine. Alright, well, I’m out of here. Thanks for a great party, Ash.”

Armie barely heard the chorus of goodbyes as he left through a side gate to his car. He dug through his pockets for his keys, inexplicably furious. _Fucking Timmy._

“Armie! Hold up!” Armie whirled around at the sound of his name, to see Timmy bounding towards him from the backyard.

“Is it too late to catch a ride back to Playa with you?”

And with those words, Armie’s anger dissipated. He gave Timmy a relieved smile. “Of course not. Get in.”


	4. A Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armie and Timmy connect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this started as a four chapter fic, but the last chapter was quite long, so I've split it into two shorter chapters that I will post close together (today and tomorrow). And I MIGHT add an epilogue. We'll see ;)

Chapter 4 A Revelation 

The boys rode the short distance back to Playa in comfortable silence. Timmy was still quite drunk and was busy posting pictures from the party to his Instagram account. Armie turned on the radio and left it on a hip-hop station for Timmy’s benefit, remembering the posters on the wall of his room. Timmy grinned and began to dance in his seat, his eyes never leaving his phone.

As they pulled into Armie’s driveway, Timmy turned to Armie. “Thanks again for inviting me tonight. It was fun. And…sorry again for being such a jerk before.”

Armie gave a soft smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I’d be a jerk, too, if my parents uprooted me and dragged me across the country. So…” 

He paused, not sure what he wanted to ask Timmy, but feeling like this was the moment to say _something_ , to acknowledge what had passed between them earlier during Truth or Dare.

He took a breath and started again. “So, you like Raina? She’s cute, I guess.”

Timmy shrugged. “She’s ok. But I don’t _like her_ like her.”

Armie eyebrows shot up, skeptically. “Timmy, you _kissed_ her!”

“Well, I had to kiss _someone_ , right? That was the game.”

Their eyes met again, and Armie felt something akin to an electric current shoot through his body. They were too close, the car was too small. Armie decided that this was his moment. He leaned forward, his eyes on Timmy’s pink, parted lips….

Timmy suddenly scooted away from Armie, his back pushed against the car door.

“I…I gotta go. Thanks for the ride, Armie. See ya around.”

He fumbled with the car door, then, just like that, he was gone, leaving Armie feeling shocked and humiliated. What the fuck had he been thinking? Timmy made eye contact with him a few times and suddenly Armie thought that there was something between them? What an idiot he was.

Armie got out of the car and slammed the door hard in frustration. Of all the people to fall for, why did it have to be his apparently heterosexual and obviously disinterested new neighbor? He could really pick ‘em.

Armie lit a cigarette and leaned against his car, smoking and fuming at himself for allowing this glimmer of hope. He took a deep drag, resting his head back against his car. He replayed the scene in the car in his mind, trying to figure out what went wrong.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of footsteps coming up his driveway.

“Can I bum one of those?” asked a familiar voice.

Armie jerked his head up; in the dark, he could just make out the lanky figure of Timmy walking towards him.

“You sure are indecisive, aren’t you? I thought you had to go.”

Timmy took the cigarette that Armie proffered with a thanks, and bent down to light it. He still looked unsteady on his feet, but more sober than he had been earlier. He leaned against the car next to Armie.

He took another drag on his cigarette and glanced at Armie. “So…I played the game wrong.”

Armie snorted in surprise. “You played the game _wrong_? What the fuck does that mean?”

Timmy was looking at Armie, but in the dark, it was hard for Armie to make out his expression.

“I was supposed to kiss the person at the table that I was most attracted to, but I didn’t do that.”

Armie heart skipped a bit. He swallowed with difficulty, his mouth suddenly filled with cotton. He started to choke out the words, “What did…”

But before he could finish his question, Timmy threw his cigarette to the ground and hurled himself at Armie, pressing his wet, warm lips hard against Armie’s tight, dry pair. Armie was so shocked that it took a beat for him to realize just what the hell was happening. But his brain soon caught up with his mouth, and he finally had the good sense to kiss the fuck back. He worried that Timmy would end the kiss too soon, so he roped his arms tightly around his waist, tugging him in close, then parted his lips to let Timmy’s tongue slide through.

Whatever Armie had imagined it would be like to kiss Timmy, this far, FAR exceeded those expectations. Even though Timmy tasted of beer and cigarettes, his lips were soft. His tongue insistently explored every crevice of Armie’s mouth, and soon their faces were saliva-strewn and razor-burned.

After several minutes of making-out, Armie pulled away to try to talk to Timmy. Timmy chased the kiss, whining when he realized that Armie was stopping.

“Timmy, I…what… I mean, what does this mean? I thought you weren’t interested in me. At all.”

Timmy wiped his mouth with his sleeve, then shrugged. “I guess it means that I like you?”

Armie couldn’t help but give in to the happy grin spreading across his face.

“I like you, too. Like, a lot. So….why did you leave the car so fast earlier?”

Timmy shifted away from Armie, and chewed uncomfortably on a fingernail. He seemed to be lost in thought, but then said, “Can we talk about this tomorrow? When I’m sober? Can’t we just kiss more tonight?”

He looked up at Armie with a shy smile. Armie’s stomach filled with butterflies, and he pulled Timmy against him again.

“Oh my fucking god, of course.”

The boys kissed against Armie’s car for almost a half hour. Armie could feel Timmy’s hard-on through his jeans, and knew that he was in the same predicament, but he kept his hands respectfully on Timmy’s back and neck. Eventually, both boys gave in to their hormones and started to grind their bodies together, first slowly and hesitantly, but then faster and more frantically. Armie pushed his hands through Timmy’s curls, which were as soft as Armie had imagined. After a few minutes, Armie pulled away, sweaty and out of breath.

“I…I need to stop, Timmy. Otherwise, this could lead to an embarrassing situation,” he gasped, adjusting himself. Timmy gave a disappointed whimper, but then stood up straight and gave himself a quick squeeze.

“Fuck, you’re probably right. I’m totally past my curfew. Hopefully my parents are in bed.”

Armie took one of his hands. “Hey, do you want to do something tomorrow?”

Timmy gave his hand a squeeze. “Definitely. Text me when you wake up.”


	5. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy pays Armie a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the end of the story that I have already written. HOWEVER, I am considering adding on to it, if the creative muse strikes. I am not quite ready to let these boys go. But, I have nothing else written, so it might be a bit.
> 
> Thank you all for the amazing response this little Big Bang fic has received. I am SO APPRECIATIVE of every single kudos and comment. They really give me the impetus to keep writing.
> 
> xoxoxox

Chapter 5 The Morning After 

Armie was up a few hours before he texted Timmy, figuring that he needed more time to sleep off his hangover. He waited as long as he could bear, but he was desperate to see Timmy and make sure that what had happened the night before was real. Timmy had started to sober up some by the time they had kissed, but he had still been pretty drunk. Would he regret it? Would he _remember_ it? Armie grabbed his phone and pecked out a quick message.

_AH- Good morning! You up yet? Want to grab some coffee or something?_

Armie set down his phone and tried to find things to do to occupy his mind while waiting for Timmy to text back. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. Ten minutes later, his phone dinged.

_TC- oh my fucking head_

_TC-i’m alive_

_just barely_

_still in bed_

Armie read the messages with a tinge of disappointment. Timmy hadn’t responded to his invitation, or acknowledged the night before in any way. Armie started to worry that maybe he didn’t remember (or was trying to forget), when his phone dinged again.

_TC- want to join me?_ _;)_

Armie quickly tapped out a response, grinning like a fool.

_AH- I would love to, but I think Marc and Nicole might have something to say about that ;) Can I see you today?_

_TC- definitely_

_let me take a quick shower and i’ll be over in an hour_

Armie’s heart skipped a beat--one hour. He was suddenly terrified to see Timmy. It was one thing confessing feelings and making out under the cover of darkness and alcohol. It was going to be another thing to see each other in the harsh light of day, and figure out what was happening between them. Armie took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, then he texted back a thumb- up emoji.

An hour later, just as Armie was throwing on some shorts and a t-shirt, the doorbell rang. Even though he was expecting it, the noise still caused his stomach to fly into his throat. He froze and listened; a moment later, he heard his mother’s voice.

“Timmy, what a nice surprise! Armie is in his room. You can go on back.”

Armie hadn’t expected Timmy to come back to his room. He scanned his space with a sense of panic. Was there anything embarrassing lying around? His room was a mess, as usual, but a quick check didn’t reveal anything compromising. The usual posters of his favorite surf spots and a piece of his friend Tyler’s artwork on the wall, a few books and his laptop on the floor, his guitar perched on a table in the corner of the room…acceptable, he decided.

He swung open the door after he heard a few tentative taps, and there was Timmy, looking tired and shy. He had on a baseball cap pulled low and his hands awkwardly stuffed into his jeans pockets. He looked utterly adorable. Armie want to grab him and kiss him, but instead invited him in.

Armie closed the door behind him and turned to Timmy. “Hey,” he said with a nervous smile.

Timmy looked up at him and, upon seeing the smile on Armie’s face, graced him one in return. “Hey, back.”

“You feeling better?”

Timmy shrugged, then grabbed Armie’s hand and pulled him closer. “I am now,” he replied softly.

Armie’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. “So, you don’t…I don’t know… regret last night or anything?”

Timmy quickly shook his head. “Not at all. Do you?”

Armie gave a relieved laugh. “No, not at all. But… I do want to finish the conversation we started last night. Can we do that?”

Timmy’s face flushed, but he nodded. Armie pulled him over to his bed to sit. “Just to talk, I promise.”

Armie turned to face Timmy, who seemed to be avoiding his eyes, just as he had the night before. Armie waited a moment to see if Timmy would turn towards him, but when he didn’t, he decided to just continue.

“So, will you tell me now why you jumped out of the car so fast last night? But then came back five minutes later?” he asked gently.

Timmy opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut again. He seemed so reluctant to explain, he was making Armie nervous. Finally, he spoke.

“So, when I found out we were moving to Los Angeles, I decided to keep my sexuality private. It’s hard enough to be the new kid. I didn’t want to start school as the new _gay_ kid. I had kind of thought that I would just, you know, hang out in the closet for a while. Until I had met people and made some friends.”

Armie nodded. This was not the explanation that he was expecting, but he understood the impulse to hide your sexuality. He had done it for years. “I get that. I guess? Go on.”

Timmy sighed. “It seemed like a great plan, until the very first night I was here, when my next-door-neighbor burst into my room, looking like a goddamn tan Adonis. I was so fucking pissed.” He glanced up at Armie. “That was you, by the way.”

Armie laughed. “I don’t really agree with your description, but thank you. And that made you mad…why?”

Timmy sat up straight, agitated. “Why? Because how was I going to act straight with THIS” he gestured wildly towards Armie, “living so close! I just wanted to settle in and learn how to cope with having to live in this cesspool city….sorry, but you know what I mean….and instead, I had to deal with having a huge crush on the boy-next-door!”

Armie’s smile widened. “You…you have a crush on me?”

Timmy rolled his eyes. “No, Armie. I made out with you last night because I’m repulsed by you.”

Armie nudged Timmy with his shoulder. “Because I had a crush on you, too.”

Timmy’s eyebrows shot to his forehead. “HAD? Past tense?”

Now it was Armie’s turn to roll his eyes. “Had, have… semantics. _Have._ Definitely have.” He gave a small smile, but then turned serious. “I’m sorry I’ve made your life more difficult by …existing, I guess? Would it be easier for you if we didn’t hang out?”

He pursed his lips, scared to hear Timmy’s answer.

Timmy sighed. “Yes, actually it would.” He gave small chuckle. “But I don’t want that. As much I tried to resist your big, dumb, stupidly tight ass, I really like you, Armie. You put up with me, even when I was being a complete dick to you. You’re sweet and kind, you seem really smart, and you’re also ridiculously hot. How in the world could I stay away from you?”

“Then please don’t.” Armie scooted closer to Timmy, so that their thighs were touching, Timmy’s jeans against Armie’s nylon shorts.

Armie awkwardly cleared his throat and continued. “So, last night was…fun.”

“The party? Oh yeah, the party _was_ surprisingly fun.”

“I wasn’t talking about the party. But…speaking of the party, why did you ignore me all night? I think you flirted with every girl in the junior class, but you never came over to hang out with me even once!”

He tried to make his words sounds light, but the slight from last night still hurt and he couldn’t hide a wounded look.

Timmy threw himself back onto the bed in frustration. “I told you already, Armie! I didn’t think that I could hide the way I feel about you.” He flung his arm over his eyes, hiding his face. “I have a hard time with that, especially when I’ve been drinking. I think the end of the night proved that.”

Armie couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, remembering their shared kisses. He turned towards Timmy’s prone body, placing one hand on the bed next to his shoulder so that he was hovering above him.

“Thank god you decided to drink your body weight in beer, then,” he said with a smirk.

Timmy took his arm off of his eyes and looked up at Armie. For a moment, the boys just stared at each other; Armie’s ocean blue eyes locked onto Timmy’s forest green ones. Armie saw Timmy’s breathe hitch; his heart soared knowing that he had an effect on the other boy.

He paused for a moment, just to take in Timmy’s beauty. How had he not seen it right away? Timmy was a work of fucking art. Armie wanted to bite his pink lips, and suck on his long, pale neck. He wanted to do things to Timmy that he had never done, or even considered doing, with another boy.

“Are you going to kiss me, or just keep staring at me like a freak?” Timmy asked.

Armie startled out of his admiration of Timmy. “Freak?? You little fucker; I oughta ….”

And with that, he closed the space between them, delivering a kiss so intense, so urgent, it shot down his spine, landing in his toes. Timmy responded greedily, slipping his warm tongue into Armie’s waiting mouth. Armie carefully lowered his body onto Timmy, not wanting to crush him, until they were flush against each other. Timmy wrapped his arms around Armie’s back, slowly thrusting up as they kissed, grinding their erections together. The boys let out simultaneous moans at how good that felt, and Armie responded by pressing down even harder.

“Oh fuck, Armie…” Timmy gasped into Armie’s mouth.

Just then, a knock sounded from the door. Armie threw himself off of Timmy, and both boys sat up, flushed and out of breath.

Three more knocks.

“Armie? Are you and Timmy hungry? I made sandwiches!” Dru’s voice carried through the closed door.

Armie forced his voice to sound casual. “No thanks, mom. We’re good.”

“Alright. Let me know if you boys need anything.”

Armie listened for her footsteps to recede down the hall, then burst out laughing.

“I need to get a lock on my door if you’re going to start coming over more often” he declared. He brushed a finger over Timmy’s jeans and softly traced a line up and down the length of his thigh. “So, what should we do today? We can do whatever you want. Do you want to go to a museum or something?”

“Actually….” Timmy threw Armie a mischievous look. “I want to go to the beach.”

Armie raised his eyes with surprise. “What? I thought you _hated_ the beach!”

Timmy shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. “I feel like maybe I didn’t give it a chance. You love it so much; I want to learn to love it, too. Maybe you could teach me how to boogie board or something?”

Armie gave Timmy the biggest grin ever. “Really? Oh shit, Timmy, I would love that.”

Timmy gave a nod. “Ok, just let me run home and change into my swim suit.”

Armie leaned back, eyeing Timmy with suspicion. “I thought you didn’t _own_ a swim suit?”

“Okay, I _may_ have lied. I was a total ass. What are you going to do?” Timmy admitted with a shrug.

Armie regarded him for a moment, then tackled him back down onto the bed.

“ _This._ This is what I’m going to do.”

And he leaned down to press Timmy into long, deep kiss.

The beach could wait…


	6. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to the beach and... then other things happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I wrote this on a whim because I couldn't face the angst of my E/O fic yet, and it turned out to be one of the longest chapters I have ever written. Go figure! A bit of fluff, and bit of smut, and not a hell of a lot of plot. Enjoy!
> 
> Thank you as always to my incredible beta reader, hendricksplease, and to all my readers who enjoy my stuff, even when it's shit. I love you all! And don't forget to comment because I am a whore for comments!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my friend, Amy, who will probably find the setting to be quite familiar!
> 
> xoxoxox

Chapter 6

Beach Day

Armie and Timmy made-out on Armie’s bed for several minutes, but Armie’s heart stopped and his body froze every time he heard footsteps outside his door. Eventually he rolled off Timmy and sighed in frustration.

“Let’s get out of here. I keep waiting for my mom to barge in, and that would _not_ be a good scene.”

Timmy sat up and wiped his saliva-strewn lips.

“You’re out to your parents, right?” He looked at Armie with concern. The last thing he wanted was to get Armie into some sort of trouble at home.

Armie pushed himself upright and faced Timmy on the bed. He shrugged. Being “out” seemed to be a relative thing.

“I told my mom that I’m bi last year, but she acts like it’s just a phase. Maybe because I haven’t been in a relationship since I broke up with Liz two years ago? I think she’s just waiting for me to find my next girlfriend. And my dad doesn’t know _anything_. He travels a lot for work and, I don’t know… we don’t talk much.”

Timmy took Armie’s hand and looked him in the eye. “Hey, I don’t want you to feel any pressure, about any of this. We can go as fast or as slow as you want. Okay?”

Armie smiled gratefully at Timmy. “I like you a lot, Timmy. And I don’t really _want_ to take this slow. Like, at all. But can we just keep it between us? For now?”

Timmy nudged Armie’s shoulder with his head. “Of course. I get it.”

Armie smiled with relief, then stood up and offered his hand to pull Timmy off the bed. “Come on, let’s go get your bathing suit and get out of here.”

A half hour later, the boys loaded up Armie’s truck with a cooler and two boogie boards. Armie thought how he would love to teach Timmy to surf one day, but decided that he had better see how he took to the boogie board first. He had a sneaky suspicion that Timmy might not be quite as coordinated as Armie. They climbed into Armie’s truck and headed towards the ocean. It was a perfect beach day—warm, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky.

“Are you sure you don’t want to text Nick and Ash and see if they want to join us?” Timmy asked.

Armie shook his head, reaching over to squeeze Timmy’s thigh. “Nah. I want you all to myself today.”

They drove to El Porto beach, Armie’s favorite local surfing spot, and unloaded the truck. As they started to make their way across the hot sand hauling all their gear, Timmy groaned softly. Armie looked over at him with concern.

“What’s wrong?”

Timmy laughed. “Oh, nothing. I just really _do_ hate sand. Like, a lot.”

Armie stopped walking and gaped at Timmy. “Well, geez, Timmy, then why did you choose to go to the beach today?”

Timmy shrugged. “Like you said--I live here now, and I need to adjust. Like, if I moved to a mountain, I would learn to ski, right? I’m ready to at least try.”

Armie considered this for a moment, gave a nod, then started to walk again. “Well then, you’re just going to have to get used to it.” He pointed to a flat stretch of sand they were approaching. “How’s this spot?”

They laid out their towels a dozen feet from the water line. Armie opened the cooler and tossed a soda to Timmy, who had settled on his stomach, propped up on his elbows. He was surveying the waves. The wind had picked up and the water was a little choppy.

“So, we’re going out into THAT?” His voice had an edge of apprehension. Armie laughed kindly.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. Whatever you’re comfortable trying, Timmy. But it’s so fun, and I will make sure you’re safe.” Timmy didn’t reply, so Armie nudged his calf with a toe. “Okay?”

Timmy nodded, glancing up at Armie from his towel. “Alright, fuck it, let’s do this. If I don’t go now, I’ll chicken out.”

Timmy pushed himself up off his towel with some reluctance, then pulled off his t-shirt in one swift move. His pale skin practically glowed in the harsh light of the noon sun. Armie swallowed hard at the sight of Timmy’s bare chest and shoulders, thin but with a hint of muscle lurking underneath. He had to resist the urge to reach out and stroke Timmy’s soft skin.

Armie cleared his throat, his voice suddenly raspy. “Dude, you need some sunscreen. You’re like a ghost.”

He reached into his backpack, feeling around until his hand hit the bottle. “Turn around,” he directed Timmy. He sprayed the length of Timmy’s back, arms, and legs, then Timmy rotated so he could do his chest. Timmy looked up at Armie with a sly grin. “I think you need to rub it in.”

Armie’s stomach did a quick flip. “Um, ok…” 

Timmy turned again. “Do my back first,” he commanded. Armie took a deep breath, then put both hands on Timmy’s porcelain skin, already hot from the sun, and began to rub in the sunscreen. He marveled at how big his hands looked on Timmy’s lean back. He liked it.

Suddenly, Timmy moaned. “God, that feels so good Armie.” Armie’s cock gave a firm twitch; he pulled his hands off of Timmy quickly. The thought of getting hard in the middle of the beach was mortifying.

“All good!” he said, in an overly loud voice.

Timmy laughed and turned back to Armie. “Yup, that _was_ good. Now you?”

Armie quickly shook his head. If Timmy rubbed his back right now, he would definitely get a hard-on. Better to risk a burn. “I’m already tan. I’ll be alright. Come on, let’s go!”

Armie pulled off his shirt and grabbed both boogie boards, handing the smaller one to Timmy. He felt the other boy’s eyes on him as they made their way down to the shore. He turned back to check in on him; Timmy was right behind, with a satisfied smirk on his lips.

“What’s so funny?” he called over his shoulder.

“Oh, nothing. Just happy to see that you’re as hot with your shirt off as I had imagined.”

Armie chuckled. “Glad that I didn’t disappointment.”

They stopped at the shoreline, the ocean lapping over their toes. It was a weekday, so the beach was not crowded, and they found a stretch of water with few other people around. Armie gave Timmy an appraising look.

“You can swim, right?”

Timmy’s jaw fell open in faux-offense. “Of _course_ I can swim! But... uh… not super well.” Armie nodded. He had had a feeling.

“That’s alright. We won’t go out far. Follow me.” He started wading into the ocean, the water pooling around his ankles, then hitting his knees when a wave came in. Timmy hesitated again, anxiety contorting his features.

“Timmy. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” Timmy nodded, his eyes full of trust as he followed Armie slowly into the water. He gasped when the first strong wave hit his legs.

“Fuck, it’s cold!”

“Suck it up, you big baby,” Armie laughed. “This is actually pretty warm for this time of year.”

They waded out until the water was to the top of Armie’s thighs and to Timmy’s hips. Armie showed Timmy how to wait for a good wave, the ride it back to the shore on his board. Timmy let a few waves pass, working up his nerve to try. Finally, what he judged to be a perfect wave approached and he hopped belly-first onto his board. Almost immediately, he rolled off and into the water. Armie hurried towards him, worried that he might have to do a full rescue, but Timmy suddenly popped up from the water, drenched and sputtering for air.

“Fuck this! I’m going to drown!” He wiped his eyes in vain as water streamed into this face. He looked around for his board, which had slipped out of his hands when he had fallen.

Armie used his expansive reach to grab the board before it floated away. “You’re not going to drown, Timmy. I’m right here. That was a good first attempt. You can’t give up.”

The next wave, Timmy was able to stay on his board and rode it all the way back to the shore. He glided in until his board scudded to a stop on the sand. He jumped up and whooped.

“Holy shit, Armie! That was awesome!”

Armie, who had coasted in right behind him, gave a triumphant grin. “I knew you’d like it once you gave it a chance.”

Timmy wasn’t listening, already running back into the water with his board. “Come on! Let’s go again!”

The boys spent the next hour in the water, boogie boarding and playing in the waves. They ran and splashed until they were spent, then they collapsed on their towels, happy and exhausted.

They lay on their stomachs, watching the crashing waves while catching their breaths. Armie settled his head onto his arms that were stretched above his head and turned to look at Timmy for a moment. Timmy’s normally wild curls were slicked back against head, emphasizing his cut jawline. He was squinting against the bright sun and a small, content smile graced his face. Armie’s chest tightened the way it always did when he had the chance to drink in Timmy’s beauty.

“I like hanging out with you,” he finally said. There were so many things he wanted to say, but this seemed the simplest, and the most honest. He really just liked _being_ with Timmy. Hanging out. Talking, or not talking. Definitely kissing. Maybe…. other things? Eventually.

Timmy turned his head to look at Armie. Their faces were less than a foot apart and Armie loved that he could see the green of Timmy’s eyes.

Timmy smirked. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

Armie grinned back and reached a hand out to push Timmy’s shoulder. “Not bad? Asshole.” He sat up on his towel and grabbed the cooler. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

The boys ate the sandwiches Armie had made, then fell asleep on their towels, their bellies full and their bodies weary. Armie woke up over an hour later and glanced over at the still-sleeping form of Timmy. His back and legs were painfully red. ‘Oh shit,’ Armie thought, and prodded Timmy to wake up.

“Timmy. Tim. Wake up, dude. You’re so red. We better go.” Timmy opened a bleary eye, then started to push himself up off his towel. He yelped in pain.

“Oh fuuuuuuuck,” he whined. “Ugh, I think this is the worst sunburn I’ve ever had.”

Armie was already up, gathering their things. “And I bet with that porcelain skin, you’ve had a few. I’m sorry, Timmy. I should have made you re-apply. I didn’t think we’d fall asleep for so long.”

Timmy shook his head. “No, it’s my fault. I know how easily I burn. Fuck, it hurts.”

They started walking back to Armie’s car in silence, both boys disappointed that their near-perfect day had to end on a bad note.

“Go home and take a cool bath, and I’ll bring over the aloe lotion my mom uses on us when we have a bad sunburn. That should help.” He was happy to have an excuse to see Timmy again that day.

Timmy cast grateful look at Armie. “Thanks, man.”

Back at his house, Armie ached to kiss Timmy good-bye, but he didn’t know who could see them in his driveway. He settled for a quick touch on Timmy’s shoulder. It felt woefully inadequate. “See you soon,” he replied, lamely.

That night after dinner, Armie made his way next-door to Timmy’s house, lotion in hand. It had only been a few hours since he and Timmy had parted, but he was already eager to see him again. He rang the doorbell, and Nicole swung open the door almost immediately.

“Armie! It’s so good to see you. I heard you boys had a good day at the beach today? Thank you so much for inviting Timmy.”

Armie smiled politely, wondering if Timmy had told her what had happened between them last night (and this morning). He made a mental note to ask Timmy; he felt like he needed to know how Timmy’s parents saw him, as Timmy’s friend or… more?

“I brought him some aloe lotion for his sunburn. It’s what my mom uses on us.” He suddenly felt embarrassed to have brought something as intimate as lotion for his neighbor. Would Nicole think that’s weird? But her face lit up with gratitude.

“Oh, Armie, how thoughtful! He’s in his room; you know the way.” Her friendly smile dispelled whatever unease he had been feeling the moment before. He walked down the now-familiar hallway and tapped on Timmy’s door.

“Enter,” Timmy’s deep voice sounded from within, so Armie pushed open the door. Just like the very first time he saw him, Timmy was sitting with his legs crossed on his desk. However, unlike the scowl that greeted Armie on that first night, Timmy’s eyes lit up with delight when he saw who it was. He beckoned Armie to enter, then came over to shut and lock the door behind him.

Armie’s eyes widened. “You’re allowed to do that? My mom would never actually let me put a lock on my door.”

Timmy shrugged, then stepped closer to Armie, looking up into his eyes. “My parents give me pretty much free reign to do what I want until I fuck up. So I just make sure I don’t fuck up too badly.”

Armie nodded slowly, trying to imagine what it would be like to be parented in this way. But his brain was muddled by Timmy’s proximity. “You’re so lucky,” he whispered, reaching out a tentative hand to touch Timmy’s tee-shirt.

Timmy did not seem interested in being tentative. He grabbed Armie’s shorts by the belt loops and tugged him forward, their pelvis’ crashing together. Armie gasped at the sudden contact.

“I know,” Timmy replied, then tilted his head up to press his lips against Armie’s in a sweet, warm kiss. Armie melted into him. God, would he ever get over how good and right this felt? Timmy slipped his tongue confidently into Armie’s mouth, and the sensation lit up Armie’s entire body. He wrapped his long arms around Timmy’s slight form and squeezed him so fucking tight, not an inch of space was left between their bodies as they kissed. Armie could feel Timmy’s dick twitch as it swelled, and he knew his cock was doing the same. He couldn’t stop himself from rolling his hips into Timmy. Fuck, that felt good.

He heard a soft moan come from Timmy. “Should we go to my bed?” 

Armie pulled away for a moment, conflicted. His body was screaming for more, but this was all so new to him, and being in Timmy’s room behind a locked door opened up possibilities he had never considered before. He was suddenly nervous, unsure if he was ready.

Timmy’s brows furrowed with concern. “What is it, Armie? Is… is everything okay?”

Armie could feel his face flush. He was not used to this--when he had been with Liz and other girls, he was confident and in charge. He had never second-guessed himself. But with Timmy… he felt excited but inexperienced. He wanted to do things right and he honestly wasn’t sure how.

“Everything is perfect. I swear. Can we just… can we talk for a bit?”

Timmy took Armie’s hands in his own and squeezed. “Of course! Yes, let’s talk.”

He led Armie to his bed, and sat facing him. Armie smiled at how cute and eager he was. How was this the same surly boy he had met two weeks ago? He took a deep breath, nerves coursing through his body at what he was about to confess.

“So, I… I’ve never been with a guy before. I mean, I kissed you last night, and I kissed a friend of my cousin’s last summer. Oh god, that’s so cliché. But it’s true!” He paused, wondering if he sounded pathetic. “Does that turn you off?”

Timmy gave a soft chuckle. “Does it turn me _off_? Armie, I don’t think there is a thing you could say or do that would turn me off. And no, I think it’s sexy and sweet that this is all new for you. I really do.” He punctuated his words with a soft kiss on Armie’s cheek. Armie glowed with pleasure and relief.

“What about you? I mean… what have you done? You don’t have to answer if you don’t feel comfortable,” he added quickly.

Timmy shook his head. “No, it’s okay. I had a boyfriend for a year in New York, so I’ve done a lot. But please, don’t be intimidated by that, Armie. Like I said before, we can take everything at your pace.” He bit his lower lip and looked into Armie’s eyes with want. “But I want to do everything with you, when you’re ready.”

Armie involuntarily took a sharp intake of breathe. _Everything_. What was _everything_? His brain started working, his imagination taking over and his body responding. He nodded eagerly. “Me, too, Timmy. I want that, too.”

Tim looked at Armie with a serious expression. ““Armie, you have to let me know as soon as you think we’re going too fast. I don’t want you ever feeling pressured or anxious. Promise me you’ll stop me if I do something you aren’t comfortable with.”

Armie gave a swift nod, giving his full consent for them to finally act on the desire they’d both been feeling all day. They fell onto Timmy’s bed, their mouths and bodies slotting together as they began to explore what _everything_ was going to mean for them. Timmy let his hand slide down Armie’s leg, then into the crevice between his thighs. Armie felt his heart speed up, but he made no move to stop Timmy. It was too good, feeling Timmy’s hand explore: up his inseam, then slowly, cautiously palming the bulge in Armie’ jeans. Squeezing until Armie gasped.

“Is this okay?” Timmy asked, barely moving his mouth from Armie’s. Armie answered with a quick nod. ‘ _God, please don’t stop_ ,’ he thought.

He heard Timmy lower the zipper on his jeans, then felt his hand first slip into the gap created by the open zipper, then into the slit of Armie’s boxers. His fingers grazed Armie’s cock, then wrapped around it, firmly, assuredly. Timmy was making sure Armie was alright; keeping him safe and comfortable in everything they were doing. He slowly let his hand slide up and down Armie’s erection. Then, when Armie let out a soft moan, he began to pump his hand harder and faster.

Armie had received hand jobs before, but there was something about getting one from a person who had the same equipment that just couldn’t compare to those he had received from Liz. Timmy knew exactly what felt good. He understood what every reaction Armie’s body made meant, and how to respond to it. He knew to use Armie’s pre-come to make each movement feel even better. He knew when to slow down, and when to speed up. He knew that if felt good to pay attention to the head of Armie’s cock and even to his balls. He worked Armie’s cock perfectly. Then, just as Armie felt like he was ready to explode, Timmy bent down and took him in his mouth and began to suck. The sight and feel of Timmy’s lips wrapped around his dick in that way was too much. He gasped, “I’m gonna…” and then came harder and better than he had ever come before.

Timmy wiped his mouth, then crawled back to the top of the bed to kiss Armie’s throat as he came down from his orgasm. Timmy muttered into the side of his neck, “I hope that was okay. I’m sorry I didn’t ask first…”

And Armie lifted Timmy’s chin and kissed him with appreciation and consent and anticipation of what was coming next, as they started to figure out what _everything_ was going to mean to them. Armie couldn’t wait.


	7. A Bump in the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timmy is upset, and Armie doesn't know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, while I struggle with the next chapter of Coma Life, you all get another chapter of these boys! It's a bit of angst and a bit of fluff, but I promise some smut is planned for Chapter 8!
> 
> As always, thank you to my assiduous Beta reader, @hendricksplease, and to all my readers for your love, Kudos, comments, and support. It is always incredibly appreciated xoxoxo

Chapter 7

A Bump in the Road

Timmy and Armie began hanging out pretty much every day the following week. Timmy convinced Armie to go with him to some museums: the Getty, the Grammy museum, and LACMA. Armie pretended to protest, but he was in reality happy to go anywhere that Timmy wanted. It was so incredible to see Timmy start to feel comfortable in his new city, finding things that he actually liked about Los Angeles. They held hands, feeling safe and protected by the crowds and distance from their small beach town. Armie would steal glances at Timmy as they looked at exhibits and his entire body would feel warm and content.

The amazing week they had had made it all the more disconcerting when he arrived at Timmy’s house Friday morning to find him sullen and withdrawn. Armie had knocked on Timmy’s door and when there was no answer, he pushed it open a crack.

“Hey,” he ventured when Timmy didn’t look up from his bed. He was lying turned towards the wall, his phone face down beside him.

“Hey,” Timmy mumbled back, not bothering to lift his head to greet Armie. Armie’s stomach clenched. Was Timmy sick of him already? Had he done something wrong?

Armie sat down on gingerly on his bed, not wanting to startle him.

“What’s going on? You ok?”

This was such new territory to Armie. He had no idea how to proceed when his… friend? _Boyfriend_? was upset, and for an unknown reason.

Timmy kept his head down. “’m fine. Just tired,” he mumbled.

Armie sat in silence for another moment. It was clear that Timmy didn’t want to talk, but they had plans to drive to Malibu that morning. Finally, Timmy turned his head, revealing bloodshot eyes. It was obvious he’d been crying.

“I’m fine, Armie. Can I… can I call you later?”

Armie’s heart fell. He wanted to take Timmy in his arms and hold him until whatever was bothering him was better. He wanted to kiss away the streaks of fallen tears that smudged his face. But Timmy had built a wall around him that Armie had no idea how to scale. He sighed.

“Sure. Call me later. And, Timmy? I’m here if you want to talk.” That was the best he could do.

Timmy had already resumed his position facing the wall. Armie heard him mumble, “Bye,” and he took that as his cue to leave.

Armie left Timmy’s room, gently closing the door behind him. He was startled by Nicole standing right outside Timmy’s door, possibly eavesdropping. She smiled guiltily, knowing she’d been caught.

“Are you leaving already, Armie? I thought you two had plans.”

Armie glanced at the door then back at Nicole, pressing his lips together with concern.

“We did. We were planning on driving up the coast. But… I guess Timmy isn’t up for it.”

Nicole sighed. “He’s been like this all morning. I have no idea why. I was actually hoping that you would be the one to cheer him up.”

Armie felt a pang of guilt that Nicole had been depending on him and he had somehow let her down.

“I’m sorry… I wish I knew how,” he said miserably.

Nicole placed her hand on Armie’s shoulder. “No, no, Armie. I didn’t mean it like that. You’ve been so great for him; I guess I forget how much this move has affected him. Thank you for being there for him.” She squeezed his arm. “I mean it. I’m sure he’ll call you later.”

Armie returned home, still feeling like dirt. He went to his room to check his phone--while he had been at Timmy’s house, his phone had been vibrating like crazy. He turned it on to find a chain of texts from Ash and Nick, giving him shit about disappearing for the last several days and demanding that they hang out that afternoon. He resisted the temptation to tell them that he was busy and texted back a thumbs up emoji. At least those knuckleheads would keep his mind off of Timmy.

*****

An hour later, he was sitting at a table outside of In-N-Out with Ash and Nick, powering down a Double-Double and watching the planes come into LAX. Ash and Nick were busy smack-talking about their latest Call of Duty game, oblivious to the fact that Armie wasn’t really participating in the conversation. He was fine with their cluelessness, hoping to fly under-the-radar for the rest of the afternoon. But as they were tossing their trash, Ash turned to him.

“So, Hammer, where have you been all week? You left my party in a huff, then went M.I.A. for the rest of the week. What gives?”

Armie gave a noncommittal shrug as he unlocked the door of his truck. “Nothing gives. I’ve just been busy.”

Nick seemed to suddenly remember something and chimed in. “Hey! You gave Timmy a ride home that night. Are you guys good now? Have you seen him since the party?”

Armie felt his face heat up and he prayed that he wasn’t blushing. He swallowed as he turned the ignition to start his truck. “Oh, yeah, I did. I mean, it was fine. He was pretty drunk. He just wanted to play hip-hop on the car radio.” He couldn’t help but smile a little at that memory of Timmy drunkenly dancing to Kid Cudi in the front seat of his car.

Nick laughed. “It’s too bad he left with you. Raina wanted his dick _bad_. He definitely could have gotten with her if he’d stayed.”

“I don’t think Timmy is like that,” Ash interjected.

“He’s _not._ Why do you have to be such a douchebag, Nick?” Armie snapped. He could hear the irritation in his voice.

“Damn, Arms, chill. I was just saying…” Nick glared at Armie then turned to look out the window, annoyed. Armie turned on the radio to drown out the silence; he glanced in his rear view mirror at Ash, who was watching him with a curious look on his face. He quickly turned away.

“Well, I like the kid. I hope he comes out with us again,” Ash said after several minutes of silence. Armie shrugged and said nothing. He drove to Nick’s house where Ash had left his bike to drop them both off, and they made plans to go to the beach that weekend. As they were walking up Nick’s driveway, Ash turned and yelled, “Invite Timmy, too!”

*****

Armie entered his blessedly empty house and threw himself face-down on his bed. He couldn’t get Timmy out of his mind and he was at a loss as to what he should do. He didn’t know if Timmy was upset with _him_ , or upset about something that happened, or maybe just upset in general? When Liz used to get into one of her moods, he knew to stay away until she reached out to him. But he had no idea what to do when the person he liked was a _guy._ This was all such new territory. He pulled a pillow over his face and moaned in frustrated.

His phone dinged from his bedside table. Armie grabbed it and saw it was a text from Ash.

_Ash: is something going on with u and timmy_

Armie’s heart stopped. What did Ash know? _How_ did Ash know? Fuck. He had no idea how to reply.

He decided to play dumb.

_Armie: what do u mean_

_Armie: ofc not_

His heart was pounding as he waited for Ash’s reply. Had he been that obvious?

_Ash: idk u just seemed pissed at the party when raina kissed him_

_Ash: and then even more pissed today when niki brought it up_

Armie scanned the text and was trying to think of how to respond when a flurry of more texts came in from Ash.

_Ash: cuz I think he likes u_

_Ash: he kept looking for u at the party_

_Ash: and the look on his face after u left like a fucking sad puppy_

_Ash: and then he ran after u_

_Ash: sooooo_

Armie heart sped up at the thought of Timmy making puppy eyes after he left the party. He had the sudden urge to confess what had happened between them. It had all been so wonderful, and now it _wasn’t_ , and he just really needed to talk to someone about it. Ash had always been really open-minded and supportive of Armie’s journey. Armie knew he could trust him. He picked up his phone.

_Armie: yeah so_

_Armie: so… I gave timmy a ride home that night and we’ve been hanging out ever since_

He held his phone tight, staring at the screen, trying to gather the courage to admit the truth to Ash.

_Armie: and I really like him_

He let out the breath he had been holding. There, he had admitted it. And it was so, so true. He couldn’t think about Timmy without the butterflies in his stomach starting to flutter like crazy.

A few moments passed and Armie started to panic. What if Ash thought it was weird or something? But then…

_Ash: i fucking knew it_

_Ash: good for you_

_Ash i bet ur adorable together (wink emoji)_

_Ash: so now u can invite him to the beach this wknd_

Armie considered what to say next. He had never asked his friends for relationship advice. Ever. It’s not what guys did. But he really needed to talk to someone about Timmy, and his parents were out of the question.

_Armie: we were sposed to have plans today but_

_Armie: i went to his house this morning and he acted pissed at me_

_Armie: barely spoke to me or looked at me_

_Armie: i dont know what to do_

_Ash: whatd u do to piss him off_

_Armie: nothing! i swear!_

_Ash: then it must not b u_

_Ash: dont take it so personally dude_

_Armie: maybe ur right_

_Armie: thankx_

Armie checked the time. It was 3:20pm, almost five hours since he had been at Timmy’s house.

_He’s got to be over whatever he was mad at by now,_ Armie thought. _Fuck it, I’m going back over there._

_*****_

Nicole was surprised but happy to see Armie at her front door.

“Is he in a better mood?” Armie ventured.

Nicole rolled her eyes all the way into her head. “Well, he felt good enough to come out and raid the fridge and take all the leftover pizza, but he still seems to be in a _mood_. Enter at your own risk.” She gave Armie a quick pinch on his cheek, almost as taken with his good looks as her son. Armie gave her one of his toothy smiles and headed down the hall.

“Wish me luck,” he said over his shoulder as he tapped on Timmy’s door.

“Enter,” Timmy called as he always did. Armie tentatively pushed the door open just a few inches and stuck his head in.

“Hey. It’s me.” His voice was soft with hesitation.

“Armie. Come in.”

Timmy was lying in bed, reading. Armie felt immediate relief that Timmy was no longer in the fetal position facing the wall. As soon as Armie walked in, Timmy put his book down and sat up. He patted the space next to him on the bed; Armie sat down and took in the sight of him. His nose was a little red, possibly from crying earlier, but he otherwise seemed alright.

“Are you… feeling better?”

Timmy shimmied across his comforter then slid next to Armie on the side of the bed. He looked down while he spoke.

“Armie, I am so sorry. We had plans today, and I was a total dick to you. I won’t blame you if you don’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

Armie turned towards him, placing one large palm on Timmy’s slim thigh.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Timmy. All I want to _do_ is hang out with you. I was just worried that I had pissed you off somehow.”

Timmy shook his head furiously. “No, no. It wasn’t you, I promise, Armie. It was… it was dumb.”

Armie squeezed Timmy’s thighs. “I won’t think it’s dumb. If it's is important to you, it’s important to me.”

Timmy sighed, then spoke. “No, it really is dumb. Alright, here goes. So, every summer, the kids at my old high school have a huge blow-out party on the roof of someone’s house. It changes every year whose house. It’s a _giant_ party with a dj and dancing. They call it Midsummer’s Eve.”

Armie nodded. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. “And was it last night?”

Timmy shook his head. “No, it’s tonight. And it’s all anyone can talk about on social media. Everyone is making plans to get-together before, and talking about what they’re going to bring or what they’ll be wearing.” He looked up at Armie, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “I’m just so fucking homesick. Everyone is texting me, saying that they wish I was going to be there. And _I_ wish I was going to be there. It just really, really sucks.”

Armie pulled Timmy into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Timmy. I wish you could go, too. That really _does_ suck.”

Timmy leaned into the hug and Armie can feel his shirt getting damp from Timmy’s tears. His body shook from a few muted sobs and his breathing was jagged. Armie’s heart tugged, knowing that Timmy was hurting so badly.

“You know, you can talk to me about these things,” he murmured into Timmy’s curls. “You don’t have to be sad alone.”

Timmy pulled Armie even tighter; their bodies so close that Armie thought he could feel Timmy’s heart beating through this t-shirt.

Timmy gave a small hiccup, then whispered. “Thank you, Armie.”

Armie knew in that moment that he would do anything to protect Timmy; to keep him happy and make him smile; and to spend as much time with him as humanly possible. He had never in his life felt this way about someone. The sudden intensity of his feelings was exciting… but also terrifying. It was too new to put a name to, but one word kept popping into his brain again and again whenever he thought of Timmy.

Love.


	8. Timmy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of our story, from Timmy's perspective <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as my writer's block on Coma Life continues into week 4, I present another chapter of IHTFS :)
> 
> Thank you, as always, to my kind and generous readers. I live for your comments, so please keep them coming! And thank you to my outstanding beta reader, @hendricksplease xoxox

Chapter 8 Timmy

The last thing Timmy expected to do when he heard his family was moving to (ugh) Los Angeles was fall in love. When his parents had first told him, he had thrown a fit to end all fits. His hope was if his father understood how _very, very unacceptable_ this move was, maybe he would change his mind. It was just a job, right? This was Timmy’s **_life._**

But his father had held steadfast. He had been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head up the Los Angeles office of UNICEF where he worked, which was a considerable promotion. There was no way he was turning it down, he told Timmy in no-uncertain-terms. His hope was to use this position as leverage to eventually transition to the head of the Manhattan office, where he had been working as an editor for several years. Timmy overheard his father telling his mother that he was thinking that they would only be in Los Angeles for a few years, and it could possibly be as little as a year.

_As little as a year._ Timmy held these words close to his heart through the move as something of a lifeline. It was honestly the only thing that got him through the weeks of packing, saying goodbye to his friends, then the endless cross-country drive across so many godforsaken states in the middle of nowhere. He had barely spoken to his parents during the entire trip, and had snuck out to get high more times than he could count. He needed all the help he could get to survive the entire ordeal.

_I can do one year,_ he had thought. _I’ll be a lone wolf. Keep to myself, get through each day, just bide my time until I’m back where I belong._ It had seemed, at the time, like a solid plan. No one needed to know anything about him, _especially_ his sexuality. He had no idea what kind of homophobes might live in this Playa place. It might be Trump country, for all Timmy knew. Like a condemned prisoner, he would do his time. He fancied himself a teenage Andy Dufresne.

They had arrived in Playa del Rey at dusk. Timmy’s furniture was already set up in his room, so he dragged his suitcase and the few boxes he had from New York into his new space, and immediately took out his vape pen to get high. He deserved that, right? He had briefly considered locking his door, but then his parents usually left him alone. Plus, they knew he got high and never really gave him a hard time about it.

It was almost dinner when there was a knock on his door.

_Must be time to eat,_ he thought. “Enter.”

To his shock, it wasn’t his mom or dad at the door. A ridiculously tall, tan, blond boy stepped into his room, into his fucking SPACE, looking like some California wet dream. Timmy was immediately pissed off. This was _not_ what he needed right now, and he made that very clear to this boy who, upon closer inspection, also had eyes the color of the sky on a clear day, and beautiful white, straight teeth. The boy, Armie ( _what a stupid name)_ , made a quick retreat after Timmy had quickly shut down his friendly overture.

_Fuck him,_ Timmy thought without a shred of guilt.

But then he dreamed of him that night, and on each night after.

*****

Armie had turned out to be, much to Timmy’s dismay, smart and funny and really kind. Timmy resisted his charms with absolutely everything he had for as long as he could, but Armie wore him down. First by being so welcoming and charming at the beach, then by offering Timmy his mom’s delicious blueberry muffins, then finally, at the party.

That party was Timmy’s Last Stand against Armie. By that time, he knew he was in deep with how he felt about Armie, and he almost… _almost_ … thought that maybe Armie felt something similar. The way Armie would stare at him sometimes, and the way he kept giving Timmy second chances, despite what a bona fide dick Timmy had been to him. But Timmy knew that he couldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t _catch feelings_ for some dude from L.A., when: 1. He hated the place, and 2. He was probably going to be leaving in a year. It was all too complicated, and it wasn’t going to happen.

So he made a personal plan to be friendly with Armie, but to keep his distance. But wow, did Armie make that difficult for him! When Timmy arrived at Armie’s house the night of the party, and Armie was wearing a seemingly simple white short-sleeved shirt that showed off both his tan and his physique? Timmy almost grabbed Armie right then and there, desperate to push him against the nearest wall and kiss him senseless.

But he didn’t. He remained strong, and at the party he was steadfast in his avoidance of Armie. However, he still somehow knew where Armie was every moment they were there. He kept one eye on Armie’s whereabouts at all times, guzzling beer after beer to get through the night.

Hours went by, and Timmy’s vision grew hazier and hazier. Then suddenly, it was midnight and they were playing Truth or Dare, and Armie had somehow ended up sitting right next to Timmy. Timmy watched the game with amusement, feeling warm and fuzzy and comfortable with his new friends. He was laughing along with… he wasn’t sure who?...when he suddenly heard his name. He worked on focusing his eyes on Ash, who was addressing him.

“Okay, your turn Timmy-Tim. Let’s see…. I dare you to kiss whoever you find most attractive at this table.”

Timmy’s stomach lurched at the dare, and he tried unsuccessfully to stop his eyes from lifting to look at the only person he wanted to kiss at the table. He glanced up, and his eyes locked with Armie’s, who was staring at him with a look of… what? Curiosity? Interest? _Dread_? Timmy couldn’t read his expression and immediately assumed the worst: Armie was terrified that Timmy would lean over and deliver his kiss to him.

With a flash of determination, he pulled his eyes away from Armie’s, pushed off of his chair, and walked over to the first girl he noticed. Raina: cute, nonthreatening, soft-looking lips. He gave her a quick peck and returned to his seat. Mission accomplished.

Except… suddenly Armie was angry and asking Timmy if he still needed a ride home. Timmy’s drunken brain was having trouble understanding exactly what was happening… why was Armie so _mad_? He turned down the ride, worried that he had been the cause of Armie’s anger. He watched Armie’s hasty retreat from the party, feelings of dejection and regret striking him with piercing intensity. But then, through his debilitating inebriation, an epiphany hit Timmy: he _was_ the cause of Armie’s anger. Him… kissing Raina… had pissed off Armie! Armie was JEALOUS!

Timmy took off, throwing Ash a slurred thank you over his shoulder, as he raced out of the party to catch up with Armie. Armie looked up with surprise as he was unlocking his car, and gave Timmy the softest, happiest smile had had ever seen. And Timmy knew that he’d been right.

*****

That had been almost a week ago. A week he had spent every single day with Armie, keeping his mind off of his excruciating homesickness. A week of holding hands and sneaking kisses behind Roman statues and in empty galleries. A week of teasing and tickling and so much laughter. One day, they took a few sneaky hits from his vape pen before going to the Cheech and Chong exhibit at Grammy Museum. Another night they watched the sunset on a blanket down at the beach with a few contraband bottles of beer. And of course, there had been several heavy make-out session on Timmy’s bed. It had been an almost perfect six days.

Then Timmy almost ruined it all with his tantrum this morning. He knew he was wrong to take out his feelings on Armie, but he had been so down, he really couldn’t see past his own misery. But then Armie, saint that he was, returned to Timmy, holding no grudge and harboring no negativity at all towards Timmy. Timmy bared his soul, crying into Armie’s t-shirt, and Armie just held him, which was exactly what Timmy needed.

_I don’t deserve him,_ he thought.

After his tears were spent, he pulled away reluctantly from Armie’s broad, safe shoulders to wipe his eyes and runny nose. He was embarrassed by what a mess he was.

“Thank you, Armie.” His voice sounded small, unsure.

“Shhh. You would do the same for me.” Timmy hoped that was true. He suddenly wanted to show Armie the gratitude he felt for his kindness, his patience, his sheer humanity. He surged up and pressed his lips hard against Armie’s, desperate to make him understand everything he meant to Timmy. Armie responded warmly, but then pulled back, looking into Timmy’s eyes.

“I want to make you feel better,” he said, his voice low and raspy.

Timmy nodded quickly. “You have. I promise, Armie. You have.”

Armie shook his head. “No, I mean. I want to make you feel… good.” His face flushed and he bit his lip, waiting for Timmy to understand _exactly_ what he meant. Comprehension of what Armie was implying suddenly dawned on Timmy. Oh god, he wanted that too, but he wasn’t sure if Armie was ready.

“Armie, you don’t have to… I mean, don’t feel like, just because I’m sad…”

Armie rubbed his hands across the broad expanse of Timmy’s back, gently kissing his neck, sending shivers down Timmy’s spine.

“I know I don’t _have_ to. I _want_ to. I want to make you feel as good as you’ve made me feel all week.”

Timmy could already feel the blood starting to rush between his legs. He swallowed and gave Armie a quick nod. The thought of Armie’s mouth on him… it was almost too much for Timmy.

“Lay back on your bed. I’ll lock the door.” Timmy quickly complied. Watching Armie turn the bolt lock on his door, a task that Timmy had always done since it was his house, was surprisingly and unbelievably sexy.

Armie turned back towards Timmy with a grin. “We’re locked in.”

Timmy loved the feeling when his door was locked and it was just the two of them, free to explore each other in privacy. He thanked the stars that his parents were so open-minded.

Armie climbed on top of Timmy, covering him with his large body. Timmy relished the feeling of Armie’s bulk pressing against him: his thick thighs on Timmy’s slimmer ones, his broad chest covering Timmy’s, and best of all, their pelvis’s pressed together, so they could feel as the other grew harder and harder. Armie kissed Timmy again, and Timmy slid his tongue into Armie’s warm mouth. He loved the taste of Armie, he loved exploring the inside of Armie’s mouth, he even loved that razor burn that covered his face every time they made out, because Armie always had a dusting of stubble on his face, even after he shaved.

Armie pulled away, then spread Timmy’s legs to kneel between.

“I’ve never done this before. Tell me if I do something wrong,” he said. Timmy almost laughed at the absurdity of this statement. Almost anything he did would be okay, as long as his mouth was on Timmy.

“Just don’t use your teeth and you’ll be alright. But are you sure you want to do this, Armie?”

“More than anything,” came the ragged reply, as Armie began to kiss his way down Timmy’s stomach. When he got to the waist band of Timmy’s shorts, Timmy lifted his hips to help him out. Armie pulled them off with one quick tug, tossing them carelessly onto the floor.

Timmy lay watching Armie. He was completely hard now--just the sight of Armie nestled between his legs, contemplating his leaking cock was almost enough to make him come. Armie took ahold of Timmy’s erection with one hand, then leaned down and gave a tentative lick to the head, lapping up the beads of come that had settled there. Timmy groaned. It felt so good, and Armie _looked_ so good with his tongue on Timmy’s dick.

Armie grinned. “I like that I can make you make those noises.” He gave another long lick, this time from the base of Timmy’s cock all the way to tip, then swirled his tongue around his slit then under the ridge. Timmy couldn’t stop himself from writhing. It was almost too much.

He gasped Armie’s name. “Don’t stop…”

Armie took the entire tip into his mouth, and Timmy could feel his tongue moving around and around the head. _Fuck, that felt incredible._ Then he slowly—oh so slowly—took Timmy’s entire length into his mouth, all the way down to the base. His mouth was so hot and tight around Timmy’s erection, and he looked so pretty with his lips spread wide around his cock, and… oh god…

“Armie, I’m going to…. You should pull off….”

But Armie kept his mouth on Timmy, running his tongue up and down his shaft, swallowing as Timmy came down his throat. Timmy arched his back as he enjoyed wave after wave of his release shooting into Armie’s waiting mouth. He closed his eyes, wishing it hadn’t been over so quickly, but he loved knowing that this would happen again. He loved knowing that Armie felt the same way about him as he felt about Armie. He just loved… _everything_ about being with Armie.

He just loved…. no, it was too soon.

Armie.


	9. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armie finally tells his friends about his and Timmy's relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to my friend and AO3 user, @monetsberm73, for generously supporting the fandom-activist-coalition. This chapter is dedicated to her! For more information, please check out my Tumblr blog, at cmbynobsessed :)

Chapter 9

Coming Out

As promised, Timmy never pushed Armie to do anything he wasn’t ready for. So far, however, Armie had been very excited about everything they had tried, and seemed eager to try even more. He was determined to perfect his blow-job skills, and Timmy was more than happy to be his practice dummy whenever he needed to. Timmy also offered to show Armie his own techniques in that area as often as he liked. Armie had happily taken him up on that offer several times already that week.

Timmy’s parents had come to see Armie as Timmy’s boyfriend, and were always very welcoming and accepting of their relationship. They allowed Timmy to lock his door, and the boys took advantage of the privacy almost daily, often reluctant to pull themselves out of the warm intimacy of that space to go to the beach or anywhere else. On the rare occasion that they hung out at Armie’s house, they were careful to keep their distance, never kissing or touching when Dru was home. And Dru always seemed to be home.

Timmy tried not to let this bother him. Everything about their relationship was so new to Armie, and Timmy was patient. But Armie still hadn’t told his friends or his parents about him, and Timmy didn’t want to start feeling like a dirty secret. So he was patient, but only to a point.

One morning as they hanging out in Timmy’s room, Timmy decided to carefully probe Armie about this, to try and understand where his head was at. Timmy was a New Yorker and a direct, honest person. He did _not_ like living with ambiguity.

“Hey, Armie… can we talk about something?” he started gingerly.

Armie looked up from his phone where he had been scrolling through Tik Toks. They were lying next to each other on Timmy’s bed, their legs tangled together.

“Sure. Of course. What’s up?”

Timmy sat up and faced Armie, his stomach twisting with nerves at having to confront Armie about this. Armie tilted his head, waiting for him to start.

“Well… we’ve been hanging out for two weeks now, and….” He paused, trying to work up the courage for his question.

Armie nodded, encouraging him. “And it’s been two of the best weeks of my life,” he interjected.

Timmy smiled at that. Armie’s face was so open, trusting. God, Timmy liked him so much.

“Me, too. You’re honestly the only thing that’s gotten me through this move, Armie. So are we like… are you my…”

“You’re my boyfriend, Timmy,” Armie interrupted, sitting up from the pillows to look Timmy in the eye. He took Timmy’s hands in his own, gently rubbing Timmy’s knuckles with his meaty thumb. “I thought you knew that?”

“We never said,” Timmy replied softly. “I thought we were, too, but we never said.”

“Well, I’m saying it now. Is that was what was bothering you?”

Timmy nodded, biting his lower lip, wondering if he should push his luck.

“Well, there was one other thing I’ve been wondering about. Why haven’t you told your friends about us yet? And do you think you’ll ever be able to tell your parents? I don’t want to pressure you, but I hate sneaking around so much.”

Armie looked down at his their hands, as if thinking. Seconds passed and Timmy could hear a lawn mower in the distance. He was starting to wonder if Armie was going to answer when his face lifted, a look of determination spread across on his face.

“I’m telling my friends soon. Ash already knows, so it’s just Nick and Tyler, really. And I’m going to tell my mom, too. Eventually. I promise, Timmy. You deserve that.”

Timmy squeezed Armie’s hand. “No, _you_ deserve that, Armie.”

Armie pulled his hand out of Timmy’s grasp, and reached over to grab his phone off the bed.

“What are you doing?” Timmy asked.

Armie didn’t reply, too busy tapping out something on his phone. Timmy watched silently, perplexed. Armie hit the keyboard one last time, sending out the message. He lifted his phone to show Timmy--it was a text to Tyler and Nick.

_Hey guys, I should have told you this sooner, but Timmy and I are dating. That’s it. Later._

Timmy’s eyes skimmed the text, then he looked up at Armie with a huge grin on his face.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. But I wanted to and now it’s done. I don’t ever want you to think that I’m hiding you away from my friends.”

Armie’s phone vibrated with incoming texts.

_Niki Wonder: Does that mean he’s not interested in Raina? I might ask her out_

_Tyler: Your new next door neighbor? Cool. When can I meet him?_

He showed the texts to Timmy. “Fucking Nick. Always on the prowl. And I knew Tyler would be cool with it. When he gets home from school for the summer, I’ll introduce you. You two will get along really well, I think.”

He pulled Timmy in an embrace. “Do you feel better now? I’m sorry it took me so long,” he murmured into Timmy’s curls.

He pulled away and started to slowly nibble down the length of Timmy’s long neck. “Raina better stay away from you if she knows what’s good for her,” he teased, then pushed Timmy back down to the bed and captured a large mound of his flesh between his teeth. Timmy gasped and giggled.

“You have nothing to worry about,” he moaned as Armie sucked an angry red mark onto the top of Timmy’s chest. “Make sure that’s low enough so it’s covered by my shirt. You don’t want Dru to see next time I’m over.”

“Shhhh. I know, I know,” Armie murmured, his lips still attached to Timmy’s skin. Timmy rolled his hips up to Armie’s torso, pressed firmly against him, pinning him to the bed.

“Is that a hint?” Armie asked with a smirk, pulling back to see Timmy. Timmy’s face was already flushed with the beginning stirs of desire from having Armie’s lips and body pressed against him. He nodded eagerly. “Go lock the door.”

Armie quickly did as he was told, and Timmy pulled off his t-shirt and shimmied out of his shorts. Armie turned back to the bed to find him boyfriend, naked as a jaybird, waiting with a grin. Armie barked out a surprised laugh.

“Fuck, Timmy…” He stopped to just drink in the sight of his beautiful boyfriend on full display, for his eyes only. “God, you are so perfect.”

Timmy started to protest, but Armie crawled between his legs and licked a long, wet stripe up the length of his hard-on to shut him up. Timmy gasped and grabbed a fistful of Armie’s hair.

“Fuck, okay, okay, I’m perfect. Just don’t stop!”

Armie knew by now exactly what Timmy liked—long licks circling the head of his erection, then down his long, gorgeous shaft. Slow laps around his balls then all the way to that sensitive swath of skin leading to his anus. Armie had yet to work up the nerve to explore further, but he knew it was something that Timmy had done in the past with his last boyfriend, and something that they both wanted to do… eventually. Whenever Armie’s tongue was wandering around that region, Timmy would give off encouraging noises, just in case Armie decided that that day was the day to finally make the ( _ahem)_ plunge.

But so far, no luck.

But Timmy would never, could never complain. Armie’s prowess with his mouth had improved considerably in the last week. He licked back up to Timmy’s tip, then swallowed his cock down to its base in one wet plunge. Timmy released a few choice expletives, trying not to thrust up into Armie’s mouth (something else they hadn’t tried yet). He let go of Armie’s hair, worried that he might pull too hard, and grabbed onto the blanket instead. Armie’s head began to bob on Timmy’s dick, slow at first, then picking up the pace. Timmy wanted to watch the top of Armie’s head bounce up and down--it was one of his favorite things--but he was already so close that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

Armie added his hand, gripping Timmy at his base, following the rhythm of his mouth. The wet slide of Armie’s mouth felt indescribably good, and Timmy’s orgasm was already starting to well, like a tropical storm growing and strengthening as it heads toward landfall. He choked out a warning, “Armie, I’m gonna….” seconds before releasing into Armie’s waiting mouth (another new development for them: Armie staying attached to Timmy throughout his orgasm, and even swallowing!).

Armie kept his mouth on Timmy until he was empty and his erection had softened some, then he crawled back up to take his naked boyfriend in his arms, kissing him, holding him, wanting nothing more than to show how much he means to him. Armie was happy to just stop there—he had given Timmy pleasure, and that was what he wanted most. But then Timmy’s lifted his head up, gave a light peck to Armie’s lips, and murmured, “Your turn.”

And that was good, too.

*****

Later that day, the boys were shooting baskets in Armie’s driveway when Armie suddenly stopped to pull his phone out of his pocket to look at a text.

“Hey, Tyler is coming home this weekend, and they’re having a small party at their house Saturday night. You want to go?”

Armie asked it casually, but Timmy knew that this would kind of be a big deal. “As your date?”

Armie walked over to Timmy, tucking the basketball under one arm so he could take Timmy’s hand with the other. “As my boyfriend.”

Timmy couldn’t stop his face from flushing with pleasure at those words. “Yeah, okay. Of course. Who will be there?”

Armie shrugged. “I’m not sure, but probably the usual. Ash and Tyler, Nick, Ansel and Violetta, maybe Andrew and his girlfriend. That’s probably it.”

Timmy took a deep breathe, then let it out slowly. This was what he wanted, to go public as Armie’s boyfriend. But now that it was going to happen, he was suddenly nervous.

“Will they be cool with it? You’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

Armie chuckled and dribbled the ball a few times. “Oh, yeah. No, they will. I just think that some of my friends thought when I came out as bi last year that I didn’t really mean it or something. Like I was experimenting or confused. I didn’t know what I wanted. They have no idea how hard it is to meet someone who is both interested and worthwhile when you’re in high school.”

Timmy smiled at that. “I’m glad you think I’m worthwhile.”

  
  


*****

Saturday night snuck up on them quickly. Armie had assured Timmy that it would be a casual get-together, so Timmy had thrown on his favorite jeans and a simple black Adidas tee. He attempted to tame his curls with a bit of gel, pulled on his favorite Doc Martins, and he was ready to go. He called out the back door to his parents having wine on their deck to say that he was leaving, and then headed off next door to Armie’s house. It was Nick’s turn to be designated driver, and Timmy was looking forward to having a few drinks with Armie that night.

Dru was in the front yard pruning bushes when Timmy walked up. Her face broke into a pleased smile at his arrival. Armie had confided to him that, for whatever reason, Dru had decided that Timmy was a good influence on Armie. They boys had a good chuckle over that.

“Timmy, so good to see you! Go right inside. Armie is still getting ready.”

Timmy put on his best ‘boy-next-door’ smile. “Thanks, Mrs. Hammer. Your plants look great.”

“Oh, thank you, Timmy. You are so sweet. Have fun tonight!”

Timmy found Armie in the bathroom, brushing his teeth shirtless. Timmy snuck up behind him and ran an appreciative hand up Armie’s bare back. Armie jumped in surprise.

“Fuck, Timmy, don’t sneak up on me like that,” he grumbled, spitting toothpaste into the sink.

“If you don’t want me to violate you in your house, you really should put more clothes on before I come over,” he protested innocently.

Armie turned around and gave Timmy a kiss so quick and light, it barely touched his lips. Timmy chased his mouth, trying to get more.

“Timmy, stop. My mom could come in any minute.”

Timmy pulled away and leaned against the bathroom wall, pouting. “We would hear her,” he argued.

Armie grabbed his black t-shirt from the counter and pulled it over his head. “Nuh-uh. She’s like a fucking cat.” His head popped up through the hole. He looked beseechingly at Timmy. “Come on, Timmy. You know we can’t do that here. Please don’t give me a hard time.”

Timmy shrugged, feeling a twinge of guilt. He had to remind himself daily that Armie’s family was the complete opposite of his own when it came to this. Dru was a Christian and very conservative. Armie went to church every Sunday, even though he had confessed to Timmy that he no longer believed.

“I’m sorry. I’m being a dick. What time is Nick getting here to pick us up?”

Armie’s hand flew to his mouth. “Oh shit, I left my phone in the kitchen. I hope he hasn’t been texting.”

Suddenly, the sound of the front door slamming open vibrated through the house, followed by Nick’s booming voice. “Arms, I’ve been texting you for five minutes. Let’s go!”

The two boys walked out to the living room together. Nick didn’t seem surprised to see Timmy there, giving him a “Hey, Timmy,” and a “Let’s go, we’re fucking late,” and then they were off.

Timmy breathed a sigh of relief. One friend down, two to go. 

*****

The party at the Ash and Tyler’s house that night was a much smaller affair after Ash had caught hell from his parents for his last blow-out a few weeks ago while they were out of town. The party most likely would not have happened at all if Tyler, the self-proclaimed favorite of the three Ramsey siblings, hadn’t convinced his parents that he would be in charge. Tyler had threatened Ash in no uncertain terms that he had better be on his best behavior while his parents were out to dinner with friends.

So when Nick, Armie, and Timmy strode up the front walkway, they weren’t greeted by music blaring or shrieks of laughter like the last party. Instead, a large man with blond, spiky hair ambled out of the house with his hands in the air.

“Niki Wonder! Arms! How the fuck are you guys??” He grabbed the two of them, giving them each a quick one-armed bro-hug, clapping them roughly on the back, then turned to Timmy.

“Hey, you must be Timmy? I’m Tyler. You look like too nice a kid to be hanging out with these assholes,” he said with a wink.

Nick scoffed at that. “Oh, just wait. Timmy can be a douchebag when he wants.”

Armie reached over and smacked Nick on the arm. “Hey, watch it.”

Nick’s eyes went wide, as if he had just at that moment remembered that Armie and Timmy were dating. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Timmy cut him off. “You’re right, Nick. I have my asshole moments, too. Nice to meet you, Tyler.”

Tyler shook Timmy’s hand with a grin, took the case of beer that Armie was clutching, and led them through the house to the back deck. It was small group out there: Ansel, Violetta and Caitlyn were smoking a joint at the patio table, Andrew and his girlfriend were sitting to the side, and Ash was at the grill, flipping some burgers. There was a cooler full of beer near the door and soft music played from someone’s phone. Timmy was relieved that it was a quieter scene than last time.

Ash looked up as they came through the patio door. “Hey, Arms, Nick.” His eyes met Timmy’s and he gave him a warm smile, wanting him to feel very welcome. “Hey, Timmy. Grab a beer from the cooler, if you’d like.”

Timmy gratefully returned the smile at Ash. “Thanks, man.” They all grabbed chairs and settled in around the table with their beers, exchanging greetings of “What’s up?” and “What’s new?” After a few minutes of small talk, Armie awkwardly cleared his throat to get the table’s attention. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.

Armie reddened at suddenly being the center of attention, but pushed down his feelings and spoke. “So, uh, I think most of you know by now, but just so the rest of you aren’t in the dark, um, so, me and Timmy are dating now.”

Ansel looked a bit dumbstruck, but the three girls squealed in delight at the news. “Oh my god, that is amazing! You two are so cute together! I love it!”

Armie reached over, took Timmy’s hand and squeezed. He glanced up at his boyfriend who was beaming ear to ear, as if he had just won the lottery. He mouthed the words “thank you” to Armie, and Armie grinned back at him.

“Ok, that was all I had to say. Carry on with your normal conversation, please.” Andrew and Ansel looked as though they wanted to ask a few questions, but thought better of it. There was a moment of awkward silence, but then Ash called out, “Burgers and corn are ready! Come and get it!” and the moment passed.

While the rest of the group was up getting food, Timmy squeezed Armie’s hand. “You okay? I think that went well. What do you think?”

Armie nodded. It _had_ gone fine. He wasn’t sure why he had even been worried… he was lucky to have such open-minded friends. He realized that it had been more his own hang-up about admitting that he was dating a guy than really thinking that his friends would judge him. But he was proud to be with Timmy. He promised himself that he would no longer hide.

“They probably think you’re too good for me. And they are probably right.” he replied with a grin. “Come on, let’s get some food.”

*****

Timmy spent the rest of the night in a warm bubble of happiness. He knew that Armie’s friends liked him before (he was a likable guy when he wanted to be), but having them accept him as Armie’s boyfriend just made everything feel right in the world.

At the start of the night, Armie still seemed a little hesitant to show Timmy much affection in front of his friends. He would quickly squeeze Timmy’s hand, or lightly rub his arm with a finger, but nothing more. But as the night progressed, and Armie had had a few beers, his inhibitions seemed to disappear. He pulled Timmy’s chair closer to his own, pulling Timmy’s legs up onto his thighs. He laid his head onto Timmy’s shoulder while he was listening to someone talk. He brought Timmy’s hand to his mouth, lightly pressing his lips to the back of his hand. Each little thing he did sent a shiver of pleasure down Timmy’s spine.

Timmy had had a boyfriend for a year in New York, but he never felt for Jay what he felt for Armie. It was like a starter relationship--he and Jay had known each other since elementary school, and they both acknowledged that they weren’t in love. But they liked hanging out and experimenting together sexually, and they had the same friends. Those things seemed to be enough of a basis for a relationship at the time. They parted on good terms just a few months before Timmy moved away when Jay met someone else that he really liked.

There was no comparing the feelings of affection and camaraderie Timmy had felt with Jay to constant butterflies in his stomach and the needy ache in his chest he felt when he was with Armie. Timmy couldn’t be near Armie without longing to watch him and touch him. Just the sound of his voice sent a flutter of adoration through his entire body. He looked into Armie’s blue eyes, and he was sure he was the most beautiful human to have ever walked the earth. It was both electrifying and terrifying.

Armie got up to get them two more beers. The rest of the guys were playing cornhole in the yard, but Timmy and Armie opted to stay at the table chatting with the three girls. The girls were asking Timmy about his schedule for the next year, and if he was going to join the drama club. Timmy hadn’t even started to think about those things yet. When Armie got back to the table, he set the beers down, put out his arms and said, “Come here,” to Timmy. Timmy could tell by his sloppy smile that he was buzzed.

“What?” Timmy asked with a grin.

“Come. Here.” Armie repeated emphatically. He pointed to his lap. “ _Here.”_

Timmy giggled and happily complied. He settled himself comfortably onto Armie’s lap; Armie immediately wrapped his strong arms around Timmy and nuzzled into his neck. “I’ve wanted to do this all night,” he murmured into Timmy’s ear.

Suddenly, a chorus of “Awwww!” came from across the table. The three girls were watching them snuggle, completely smitten. Timmy tried to duck his head into Armie’s chest, but Armie lifted his chin with a finger.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he whispered, and pulled Timmy into a soft kiss.

Nick’s voice boomed across the yard, “Get a fucking room!” followed immediately by Tyler’s baritone answering back, “Dude, how many girls have we had to watch you make out with? Shut up and take your fucking turn.”

Timmy smiled contently, and rested his head on Armie’s broad shoulder. He was finally feeling at home here, in Los Angeles. And all it took was falling a little bit in love. Who knew?


End file.
